The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1887-07-01

George w Peck, editor Of PecI's Sun,
and an old soldier, thus writes Of the
flag episode:
LAS predicted last week by this pa
per, great ado was made by certain
men over the mistake the President was
led into by Drum in orderiug the re
tHrn of battle flags TO states from
whence they came As soon as MIR.
Cleveland found that the return of the
flags would do no good, and might do
harm, in exciting certain people Of the
North, he very properly revoked the
order. Only q few political soldiers he
lieve that the president should be cen
sured, but he has received the most of
the "cussing." If the commander of
the G. 4. II. had seen fiji to address a
polite note to the President asking him
to rescind thc order, and telling him that
the soldiers of the Union would prefer
to retain the flags, il would have had
the same effect. But the commander.
being ap emotional gentleman, who had
sacrificed much TO procure these flags.
felt cal!ed upon to get up before an au-
dience and ''cuss, and perhaps il is just
as well. An opportunity to show that a
Democratic president was Il traitor, and
shonld be paralyzed. was too much for
the commander A political point was
made and attempted to be made, in ia
vor of the Republican party against the
Democratic party, and that is all there is
10 IT, One more year Of politics and the
Grand Army of the Republic viii be SC
| verc{y injured, if not broken in twain
The san believes the Confederate flags
should not be returned, but il docs not
believe the President meant wong to
any soldier by the order The best sol
diers OF both sides have been trying for
years to nbliterate all differences Flags
! haze been returned 10 the North and to
the South, by private military organ2a-
tons, when visiting back and forth, an;!
the love between the two sections has
been strengthened, and it is not strange
that the President, who was not sol
dier should haye taken the speeches and
the acts ofnorthcrn soldiers, Fairchild
among the number, notably by his acts
at Charleston, as meaning that il was the
general desire to let by-gones be by
cones, and easily fell in with the reco-
incubation made by Drum. If the flag
| matter Had come up y year ago, in each
post of the G. 4. f., and some good sol
| dicr in each post, with charity in his
heart should have said, Boys, the wal
is over, nnd ne haye all got to die pret-
| ty soon, and as long as the Johnnies arc
| becoming pretty friendly all around, and
| inclined to swear by the Union in the
| future, let's recomend to congress that
| all the old flags tbs. we jerkcd away
from them, be returned to them, and we
will have grand reunion of blue and
gray and bury the hatchet' Every
post would have said, "Of course
| What do we want OF the old moth-eater
| flags. Let's give them back, and shake
al! around Z" That would have been the
result ii ii had been gone at right with.
ont any passion, and nobody would
have kicked except the Tut,les. But
your old soldier, whose heart is warm
will do things if he conceivcs the i,les
himself, that he coald be influenced ,C
Kick against If some other fcllcw make.
the lirst move. The prejudicos of tn,
CID soldiers are easily excited, he is cas-
ily led, hard to drigc, and free hearted
as child. But politics is making hin
tired He VIII ravoit some day at being
worked 81